How to brew loose leaf tea without a teapot
The most common reason people give for not trying loose leaf is that they do not own a teapot. You do not need one. Most of the tea I drink is made in a mug. Here are the ways that work, from the one that costs nothing to the ones that cost a couple of pounds.
The mug and spoon method
Put a heaped teaspoon of leaf straight into your mug, pour the water on, wait the brewing time, then either drink it carefully from the top or pour it through a small sieve into a second mug. The leaf sinks as it brews, so by the time it is ready most of it is at the bottom. Large leaf teas like Pai Mu Tan and Darjeeling are easiest this way. Fine leaf like Assam CTC floats about more and is better with one of the tools below.
This is how a lot of the world drinks tea. It is not a cheat, it is the normal way.
An infuser ball or basket
The simplest upgrade is a stainless steel infuser. Open it, add a spoon of leaf, close it, drop it in the mug, lift it out when the tea is ready. Ours is £2.40 and lasts years. A basket style infuser that sits in the top of the mug gives the leaf more room to open and is better for fluffy teas like peppermint and chamomile, which swell a lot. A ball is better for small or rolled leaf like Gunpowder and Assam.
Whichever you use, do not pack it tight. Leaf needs water moving round it to give up its flavour. Half full is about right.
Fill your own tea bags
These are empty paper filters. Spoon in the leaf, fold the top over, drop it in the mug, bin it after. You get the ease of a tea bag with proper leaf inside, and they are handy for work, travel and anyone who finds an infuser fiddly. A pack of 100 is £3.49, so about 3p a cup.
A cafetiere
If you have a cafetiere for coffee, it is a very good teapot. Leaf goes in, water goes on, plunge when it is ready. The mesh is fine enough for most teas. Rinse it well first, or the first cup will taste of yesterday's coffee. It is the best way to make a pot of Chai Nana for a few people, and it is how I make Chocolate Mint when I am not doing it on the stove.
A pan on the stove
For chai style teas and anything you want to brew in milk, a small pan works better than any teapot. Leaf and water in, simmer, add milk, simmer again, strain into the mug through a sieve. It is how Chocolate Mint is meant to be drunk.
What about the time and temperature
The method does not change the brewing. Black teas and herbals take boiling water. Green and white teas want it cooled for two or three minutes first. Oolong sits in the middle. The full list is in the brewing guides, and every one of our labels has the numbers on it.